Taking on NYC one run at a time

"your story can change someone else’s"

(A note about the title = didn’t realize that the picture backdrop had that saying until I was looking at photos to post on this blog from my running adventures)

I hate when I see my “fitness journey” on blogs. Something about it irks me. But gaining and losing 30+ lbs after college says something (I should mention I’m only 5’1″).

Either way I guess I’m on one. I never really liked running. I loved sports but never considered running one. I had plenty of friends run track or cross country in high school. I tried all of the sports: swimming, tennis, basketball (I’m short but I’m quick!), track (lasted 1 week in high school), and rugby (lasted 2 weeks in college). I stuck with rowing on and off for 7 years. However, I was a coxswain so I mainly worked out during the winter season and warmed up with the girls.

I gained a lot of weight at the end of college and my first year out of school. I was no longer coxswain size, a size I didn’t really have to do much to maintain. I knew I had to lose weight but mostly I was in denial.

There were so many pictures of me in college on Facebook, etc. after college, not so much. I couldn’t stand the way I looked so I just hid from the camera.

I had to buy new clothes after college for work that there was no reminder of how much I gained. It didn’t help that I went to lots of happy hours and I was no longer active all the time.

It’s not that I didn’t try to start working out again but the issue was consistency. I rowed for a few months, then I biked everywhere one summer in Boston, then I entered grad school and never worked out. Then I moved home and attempted to work out. Then I moved to NYC and work and life just took over.

Last fall, I decided I had no more excuses. I had a real job with an actual salary; I was no longer in grad school and broke. I had wanted to do a half-marathon for so long but never had the motivation to train. I needed to get myself consistent with a routine so I finally started taking yoga, pilates, cardio classes at my gym even though I had the membership for months.

Part of it I just realized I needed to get serious about life and the other…well, I just wanted and needed to lose weight. I don’t believe in dieting – I just believe in working out and working towards something.

Hear me out: when I played sports, I had to watch what I ate (no milkshakes before a hard run…no drinking the night before a big race, etc.). Basically in my mind, I needed to sacrifice for the best outcome, for better performance and to feel better. So diet comes becomes second nature, almost hand-in-hand with best athletic performance.

It worked. Although I knew that about myself, that I could lose weight easily if I began to workout. And I’m not talking about “let’s do elliptical for 45 minutes then call it a day”. I actually did a training program so it worked.

I could stand to lose a couple more pounds but I love food. You don’t get close to 500 Yelp reviews without loving food.